Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Sunday, a bunch (OK, a small bunch) of Falcon fans rallied outside the Georgia Dome to show their support for embattled Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick. Based on the following quotes from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, you decided if it helped or hurt him:

"We Support Vick a Human Being Over Dogs," was the message of one placard to honking passing cars on Northside Drive.

"Look at what he has done for this city - he's made this city a ton of money every Sunday," said Hiram Melvin, 50 of Decatur. "This dogfighting has been going on for years. It's not something that just started. It's not a big deal."

SCLC President Charles Steele Jr. said his organization prefers to focus on Vick's redemption and plans to honor him for his community contributions at its convention next month in Atlanta. "We need to support him no matter what the evidence reveals," Steele said.

On the West Coast, former Falcons coach Jim Mora said he has given Vick moral support in a text message Wednesday. " I just wanted to let him know that I was thinking about him,"

Friday, July 27, 2007

Unless you want to talk about Michael Vick, theres not a whole lot going on in the sports world today, so I have decided to make it link to cool posts Friday. Here's some posts I found pretty entertaining.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

A day after Barry Bonds called him a "little midget man who knows (nothing) about baseball," broadcaster Bob Costas said he wasn't upset with the San Francisco Giants slugger and responded with a jab of his own.

"As anyone can plainly see, I'm 5-6 1/2 and a strapping 150, and unlike some people, I came by all of it naturally," Costas said Thursday in a telephone interview.On this week's edition of HBO's "Costas Now," commissioner Bud Selig, Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and chemist Patrick Arnold discussed Bonds, his pursuit of Hank Aaron's home run record and suspicions that Bonds has used steroids. Schilling and Arnold said they believed Bonds had taken performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds viewed at least part of the show before Wednesday's game against Atlanta.

"I've actually always had a pretty cordial relationship with Barry," Costas said. "I have no ill feelings toward him personally. I regard him as one of the greatest players of all time who got inauthentic boost and then became a superhuman player. I wish him no ill whatsoever."

Costas said he understood why Bonds might have denigrated him.

"He's under tremendous scrutiny and some pressure. It's no big deal," Costas said. "This is a consequence of doing your job, and I've never tried to do my job in any case with the intention of calling attention to myself. I think if people watch the program, they can judge for themselves."

In Bonds' rant to reporters, he denied even knowing Arnold, who created THG, the drug known as "the clear." Arnold had told Costas he found it "pretty hard to believe" Bonds didn't know what he was taking.

"I've never seen the man in my entire life," Bonds said of Arnold. "I've never heard of the man ... never."

Thats what NASCAR driver Greg Biffle had to say when asked about the Michael Vick situation.

Just put him in prison and tell the general public, just give them all the details of what they do with those dogs," Biffle said. "How they steal people's dogs out of their front yards and use them for bait dogs and let other dogs kill them. There's all the horrifying stories. You look at all the pictures on the Internet of the dogs, just maimed, mangled. It's horrible."

Biffle is apparently an animal rights guy and the founder of the Greg Biffle Foundation for Animals. Biffle's foundation donates to local Humane Societies, no-kill animal shelters, spay and neuter clinics and the Animal Adoption League.

Greg went on to say, "It goes on everywhere. He's not the only guy. It goes on in this state too," Biffle said. "Maybe they'll use him as an example and maybe get some other people to think about whether they want to be in federal prison with him or not."

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Vick was ordered bycommissioner Roger Goodell on Monday to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons'training camp until the league reviews the dogfighting charges againsthim.

"While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt orinnocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National FootballLeague to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonethelessviolated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy," Goodell saidin a letter to the quarterback.

FOXSports.com senior football writer Jay Glazer first reported the decisionearlier Monday.The NFL said Vick would still get his preseason pay andGoodell told the Falcons to withhold anydisciplinary action of their own until the league's review was completed.

Goodell told Vick the league would complete its review as quickly aspossible and that he expected full cooperation. The review is expected toinvolve conversations with federal law enforcement officials so the NFL candetermine the strength of the case against Vick.

The Falcons open camp onThursday, the same day Vick is scheduled to be arraigned in Richmond, Va., oncharges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation.

PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - demonstrated at Falcons'headquarters in Flowery Branch, Ga., on Monday and did the same outside NFLoffices in New York last week. At the same time, Goodell was meeting withofficials from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.The league and the ASPCA are working on a program to educate players about theproper treatment of animals.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Zoey the Chihuahua might not be big in stature, but this little dog showed more heart than Sergio Garcia. Unlike Sergio, who choked away a three-shot lead in the final round and missed a gimmie put to lose the British Open, Zoey stepped up durring crunch time, and jumped infront of a rattlesnake lunging at her owners’ 1-year-old grandson.

Booker West was splashing his hands in a birdbath in his grandparents’northern Colorado back yard when the snake slithered up to the toddler,rattled and struck. Five-pound Zoey jumped in the way and took thebites.

Friday, July 20, 2007

July 20, 2007 -- THE FBI is investigating an NBA referee who allegedly wasbetting on basketball games - including ones he was officiating during the pasttwo seasons - as part of an organized-crime probe in the Big Apple, The Post haslearned.The investigation, which began more than a year ago, is zeroing inon blockbuster allegations that the referee was making calls that affected thepoint spread to guarantee that he -- and the hoods who had their hooks in him --cashed in on large bets.A law enforcement official told the AP on thecondition of anonymity that the referee was aware of the investigation and wasplanning to surrender next week.

The Houston rockets have reached an agreement with former New York guard Steve Francis. He was sent to the Knicks in 2006 in the trade that brought Tracy McGrady to Houston.

A draft night deal he last month sent to Portland, who bought out the remainder of his 30 million dollar contract.

Steve still maintains a house in Houston and spent some of last season there while he was rehabbing his knee.

Francis' agent Jeff Friend said, "When you look back at a few months ago and the status of things and fast forward to today, it's really something that probably could not have been planned or implemented any better."

Fried said Francis chose the Rockets because of his "comfort factor" with the team and because he believes he can be a "meaningful participant in the overall success" in Houston.

Francis was a premier guard in the league a few years ago before he was plagued with injury. He is exactly what the rockets need. If he can stay healthy and get back to where he went into the black whole of New York, the Rockets could be dangerous enough to lose in the second round.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

ATLANTA (AP) - Michael Vick's legal troubles prompted Nike on Thursday to suspend the release of its latest product line named after the Atlanta Falcons quarterback.

Nike has told retailers it will not release a fifth signature shoe, the Air Zoom Vick V, this summer. Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the four shoe products and three shirts that currently bear Vick's name will remain in stores.

Vick will be arraigned next week in a Richmond, Va., federal courtroom on charges of sponsoring a gruesome dogfighting operation.

"This is an emotionally charged and complicated matter," Blank said. "There are a wide range of interests and legal issues that need to be carefully considered as we move ahead, including our need to respect the due process that Michael is entitled to. Also, this situation affects everyone — our club, our players and associates, our sponsors, our fans and the Atlanta community among them — so we must consider all of our customers in making any decisions.

"Given the differing perspectives and strong feelings around this issue, we probably won't make everyone happy, but we are committed to doing the right thing. As the owner of this club that's, ultimately, my responsibility."

Blank added that he was "saddened and distressed about this — not for myself, for our fans and community who have been so loyal to us."

ESPN reported that Vick had called Blank on Wednesday. The network said its sources believed Vick to have been contrite, and he apologized for the distractions the case has created, and thanked Blank for his support.

Stoyer said Nike still has a standing contract with Vick, but declined to speculate on his future with the company.

A statement released by Nike Inc. said the company "is concerned by the serious and highly disturbing allegations made against Michael Vick, and we consider any cruelty to animals inhumane and abhorrent. We do believe that Michael Vick should be afforded the same due process as any citizen; therefore, we have not terminated our relationship."

Stoyer, who declined to discuss terms of Vick's contract, indicated the company has no commercials or documentaries planned with the three-time NFL Pro Bowl selection.In previous years, Nike has run footage and interviews with Vick on its Web site, but none of the video promotions are currently posted.

"Some of that was shown on a limited run based on rights and usage," Stoyer said. "There's nothing new planned."

The Humane Society of the United States issued a statement calling upon Nike to pull its Vick clothing and shoes from retailers and from its Web site. It also called upon NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Vick.

Vick signed his current contract with Nike in 2001, the same year Atlanta chose him as the NFL's No. 1 overall draft pick. After leading the Falcons to the 2002 and '04 playoffs, Vick last year became the first quarterback in league history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

You can find a good rundown of the story as well as a good pick of the shoe that not coming out at NCAA Basketball Scores.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

According to Reuter's, a federal grand jury in Virginia has indicted the second highest paid quarterback in the NFL on one count of conspiricy to transport dogs over state lines for dogfighting, according to reports. What will NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell do? So far he's suspended Pac Man Jones for an entire season for being an overall human dirtbag and stripper-fanboy/benefactor, now he has to deal with everybody's favorite braided-guy Michael Vick getting a bona fide federal indictment. Suspension? If Goodell has a shred of manly hair on his ass, Vick gets suspended.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Here's how I will draft my QB's this year for fantasy football. Soon to come RB's, WR's, and all others.

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis- He is the ultimate quarterback. Ultra Reliable, Ultra consistant, and a stat master. Manning has passed for at least 4,000 yards in seven of his nine season and completing at least 26 touchdown passes in every year. What's impressive is that those feats are difficult for quarterbacks to achieve in a single season. Only five signal callers (Brees, Manning, Bulger, Palmer and Jon Kitna) reached 4,000 yards last season, and only three quarterbacks (Manning, Palmer and Brees) threw for at least 26 touchdowns in 2006. But Manning has achieved those baselines on nearly a yearly basis. In fact, Manning has a legitimate chance to finish first in passing yards and touchdowns every season. This past year,Manning finished first in touchdown passes (31) and missed being No. 1 in passing yards (4,397) by just 22 yards.

2. Tom Brady, New England- Here's the draft solution for all the anti-Manning's out there. Tom is set to have a tremendous year. Despite working with one of the league's worst receiving groups, Brady still threw for the league's seventh-most yards (3,529) and the fourth-most scores (24) last season. With his revamped receiving core of Randy Moss, DonteStallworth, and Wes Welker, Brady is set to be at the top of the stats list. Unless of course, the Patriots are infected with the cancer that is Randy Moss.

3. Drew Brees, New Orleans- We all witnessed what he could do in his first year with a new team, how about round 2? Last season Brees led the league in passing yards and was third in touchdowns. One more year of experience will make this offense and Brees even more dangerous.4. Tony Romo, Dallas- Although Romo has been having more celebrity life than Terrell Owens as of late, and is dating singer Carrie Underwood, it is reported that Romo has trained intensely this off-season to try and shake his disappointing ending to last season. Romo has a great all around receiving core including last years touchdown reception leader Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, and tight end Jason Witten. Romo's learning curve will be helped by the addition of new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

5. Carson Palmer- I would like to have Palmer higher on the list, but his health and inconsistentteammates place him here. His number 3 receiver Chris Henry will be missing the first 8 games. Palmer averaged only 234 yards and 1.5 touchdowns in the first eight contests compared to 270 yards and two touchdowns in final eight games. Using his final eight games as the barometer for this season, Palmer's stats would project to him setting a career high in passing yards (4,320) and matching his career high of a league-leading 32 touchdowns set in 2005.

6. Marc Bulger, St. Louis- The Rams have added new coach Scott Linehan. Bulger also coming off a career year of passing yard and touchdowns. The Rams have also added Tennessee's No. 1 wideout Drew Bennett to provide Bulger with one of the league's top No. 3 wideouts and as insurance against aging Isaac Bruce, 34, as St. Louis' No. 2 receiver.

7. Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle- Matt is coming off a rough season of frustration and injury. A sprained knee forced Hasselbeck to miss four games last season, and off-season shoulder surgery put him back on the bench. This season Hasselbeck will come back healthy and hopefully recreate his solid 2005 passing stats of 3,459 yards and 24 touchdowns. Deion Branch has replaced the departed Darrell Jackson as Seattle's No. 1 wideout, keeping the talent level intact and upgrading stability at that slot. Injuries had forced Jackson to miss 13 contests in the last two seasons. A healthy Shaun Alexander will unload a heavy burden off the passing game.

8. DonavanMcNabb, Philidelphia- Although drafting McNabb has been a craps shoot the last couple of years, before being injured last season he was projected to pass for 4,567 yards and 32 touchdowns before he went out for the rest of the season in week 10. McNabb has also lost key receiverDonteStallworth.

9. Eli Manning, New York Giants- If there is any player in the league this year with something to prove, its Eli. Although he took alot of heat last season for his sub par play, completed a higher percentage of passes and still equaled his 2005 passing score total of 24. Since Tiki retired in the off-season, there will be even more pressure for Manning to pick up the slack in the passing game.

10. Matt Lienart, Arizona- Matt is in no ones top 10 but I just can't help but think that the healthy receiving core of AnquanBoldin and Larry Fitzgerald will help him put up some good numbers. A new coach, settled offensive line, and good running back--all the pieces are there, they just have to make it work.

Monday, July 9, 2007

In yet another case of superstar athletes having a little too much fun , Allen Iverson has been ordered by a court to pay one of two men who claimed to be beaten up by his posse.

Here's the story

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal jury awarded $260,000 on Monday to one of twomen who sued NBA star Allen Iverson after they said they were beaten by hisentourage at a Washington nightclub.

The jury's decision against Iverson and his bodyguard, Jason Kane, covers pain and suffering as well as medical bills. The jury was expected to reconvene later Monday to consider punitive damages.

Marlin Godfrey and David Anthony Kittrell sued the Denver Nuggets guard,saying they were beaten by his entourage in July 2005 after they refused tovacate the Eyebar club's VIP section for Iverson.

The jury found that Kane was liable for assaulting Godfrey, who was awarded $250,000 for pain and suffering and $10,000 for his medical bills. Iverson was found negligent for failing to supervise Kane.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Grant Hill has informed the world that he will be playing with the Suns next season. If he can stay healthy, his numbers will be there. I commend the guy for only taking 1.83 million next year with a player option to return in 2008-09. Lets face it, the guy doesn't need money, he needs rings.

Hill is coming off one of his healthier seasons in the last few years only missing 17 regular-season games this season with a knee sprain and other minor injuries. I am rooting for Grant, but history has a tendency to repeat itself. And as much as I would like to see him start and put up 25 a night, he will more likely than not end up being an overpaid cheerleader.

At least they are only giving him 1.8 mil to sit on the sideline instead of the seven-year, $92 million contract Orlando gave him.

But if I were Grant and I was chasing a ring in the twilight of my career, I wouldn't have gone to a team who habitually chokes every year in the playoffs.